Knit fabric having elastic selvages.



H. C. SHAW. KNIT FABRIC' HAVING ELASTIC sBLYAG-Bs.

APPLIUATION FILED-JULY 9, 190.6.

Patented 'June 8, 1909.

a 27M@ WQ /K UNITED 'STATES PATENT OFFICE. l'

HERBERT C. SHAW, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A'ssIGNOR To BAUER a BLACKKOF CHICAGO,

ILLINOIS, A. CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS. f Y

KNIT FABRIC HAVING ELA'sTIC 'sR-LvAGEs.

Specification of `Il'a'etters Patent.

Patented .nine e, 1909.

Application alea :uiy 9, 1906. serial No. 325,226.

To all whom 'it may concern.'

Be it known that I, I-IE'RBERT C. SHAW, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and Sta-te of Illinois, have invented new anduseful Improvements in Knit. Fabric Having Elastic Selvages, of which the following is a speci` fication.

The sacks of some suspensory bandages are made of a knitted fabric strip provided at its side edges with elastic cords andgthis' fabric has heretofore -been'made in stripsy cords, leaving-a raw edge. It has been cus-v tomary to pick up by hand each stitch at this raw edge with a needle threaded with one of the elastic cords which forms the outer edge of the strip, thereby finishing the strip and preventing the raw edge from running down. This ,is a slovv and laborious process and adds/greatly' to the expense of manufacture.

It isv my object to make a fabric Which has an elastic cord inclosed therein .at both side edges by stitching in the knitting machine `and also lto knit *the fabric in strips `.of desired Widths from end to;l end, instead of from side to side, and ofany length required, therebydispensing with the hand Work heretofore necessary andproducing a fabric for this purpose with smooth and soft edges" f 'which will not run down if the yarn should accidentally be'broken.

In`th e accompanying drawings illustrating one embodiment ofthe invention kFigure 1 is a plan 'View showing a portion of a strip of fabric embodying my invention, With the /elastic cords somewhat extendedy to show more plainly their location. Figs. 2, 3' and 4 are diagrammatic views, with theelastic cords in section, showing the formationof the stitch. Fig. 5 is a. detail enlarged edge` View of the strip. showing the outer cord and ythe way in which it is inclosed by the stitches of the fabric.

vdles 10 and in Fig. 3 the Aand in full lines in Fig.J 4.

The fabricfis preferably made with an elastic border 6 at each edge, and this border comprisesa plurality of elastic cords 7 arranged in parallel relation. and inclosed by the stitching. The fabricbetween the elastic borders may be' mad'e entirely. Wit-h a ,plain stitch,'or entirely with a rib stitch, or

Vit can bemade with a combination of plain and rib zigz'ag stitch.

In FIg. 1 I have shown the fabric made with a plain stitch section 8, adjacent to each of the elastic borders, and an intermediate rib stitch section 9. The elastic cords arey covered with agrib stitch. like the section 9.

In Figs..2,3 and 4 I have shown diagrammati'ca'lly'the formation ofl the riby stitch which incloses oneset of elastic cords, Fig. 2 showing the iirst step, Fig. 3 the second step and Fig. 4 the third step.

Referring to Fig. 2 a course is run in the direction of the arrow from right to left and the needles are-operated in the usual Way in pairs, a front needle 9 and a back needle 10 in each pair, to engage the thread and pull it through the loops formed in the previous coursev'and which now becomes the stitches 11. The thread is pulled through `the stitches` 11 into loops 12 whichv become stitches 12.

in the nextcourse Fig. 3). At the end of this lirst course the ront needles are sho ged to the position indicated in broken ines Fig. 2) and the next course is run from left to right (Fig. 3') forming the loops 15. It will be observed that the front needles 9 are located in Fig. 2 at the ri ht of the back neeontneedles having been shogged are located at the left of the back needles. y from right to left .(Fig. 2) that portion 13 of the thread between the stitches lies against ,the right side of the cord 7 and in running the course from left to right (Fig. 3) that 'portion 14 of the thread lies against the left side of vthe cord so that each cord is surrounded and inclosed by the thread in` the Thus in running the course knitting operation. This is clearly shown in t Fig. 4 which illustrates the -two courses shown in Figs. 2 and 3 laid'one above the other, the-loops 12 o f the first course (Fig.

`2) having become the stitches 12 of the second course (Fig. 3.). At the end of the sec- 'ond course the front needles are shogged to the right, as'shown in broken lines in Fig. 3 I make no claim specifically to therib stitchv for that is old andfwell known in the art, but has never to my knowledgev been used before in this way to inclose elastic cords in the manner ence to Figs. 5, '1 and 4'it will be seen that these outer cords are entirely inclosed in the knitting, thus making a smooth, neat, soft edge which of this particulararticle. y

Another important advantage of my invention is the substantial character of the fabric for the stitchin will not run down if the outer ed es of t e elastic border become Worn' an broken,l whereas when the fabric is made in the old Way stitched from side ed e-to slde edge a break in the stitching Wi `quickly run down and spoil the sack. `While a fabric embodying my invention is especiall adapted for making sacks for suspensory andages itrwill be obvious to those skilled in the art that it can be used for a great many other purposes.

great importance in I prefer to use cotton covered elastic cord in the-manufacture of the fabric but any kind of elastic cord may be used.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: y

1. A fabric strip knitted from end to end with lone thread and having an elastic cord inclosed bythe stitches at the side edoe thereof, said `stitches being in surrountin engagement with said cord and said strip ing elastic both lengthwise and transversely.

2. A fabric strip knitted from end to end with one thread and comprising a rib stitch section, plain stitch sections at the side edges vof said rib stitch. section, rib stitch sections at the outer side edges of the plain stitch sections, and a plurality of elastic cords inclosed by the stitches in said outside rib stitch sections.

`HERBERT C. SHAW. 

